When an explosion traps a large number of workers in a French pit, dozens of German miners from just across the border volunteer their rescue services, with a further three taking it upon themselves to break through the wall that had separated the two mines since the 1919 armistice, in Pabst’s excellent, vaguely fact-based drama. Avoiding histrionics, melodrama, and cliché, this beautifully crafted film puts forward its plea for peace and brotherhood with rare dignity.
